Election Day (again): DOJ to monitor polls

Sep. 23, 2013

Written by

American Staff Writer

THE CANDIDATES

JOHNNY DUPREEDuPree, a Democrat, has served as mayor since 2001 when he defeated longtime Republican incumbent Ed Morgan. He is running on his 12-year track record, counting job creation and the creation of a business-friendly environment among his chief strengths. He also cites the installation of tornado warning sirens and a city unemployment rate under 8 percent among his accomplishments. DuPree gained 37 more votes than independent challenger Dave Ware during the disputed general election. It is the stiffest election challenge he’s faced during his time in office. DAVE WAREWare, an independent, served seven years as council member for Ward 4, replacing Red Bailey, who resigned in 2006. He is running on rebuilding the city’s infrastructure that includes the areas of water, sewage, storm-water and wastewater treatment. He stresses the importance of building a 21st century infrastructure to attract economic development in the city. SHAWN O’HARAO’Hara, an independent, is in the middle of his seventh election run for mayor of Hattiesburg. During the general election June 4, he garnered 16 votes. He’s running on an 85-word platform that includes consolidating city and county government agencies and vacating outstanding city arrest warrants and city court fines.

On the ballot

Online

Keep up with all the mayoral election action Tuesday by following the hashtag #HAelex on Twitter. Hattiesburg American reporters will be posting news of note throughout the day — and night — using the hashtag. Also, check out hattiesburgamerican.com for election photo galleries and videos.

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After all the legal drama, Hattiesburg voters will finally decide their next mayor in today’s special election.

How important is it? Click Boutique owners Adam Myrick and Jason LeViere are shutting down their downtown business today to remind folks to cast their ballots.

“We want people to understand the importance of what this election means for Hattiesburg,” said co-owner Adam Myrick, a Dave Ware supporter. “Essentially, we have to cross this bridge.”

Polls at 14 city-wide precincts are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. as voters choose among candidates Johnny DuPree, Ware and Shawn O’Hara.

This election is also important enough that representatives of the Justice Department will be there, upon the request of state Democratic Party chairman Rickey Cole.

The DOJ press release sent on Monday said that Justice Department personnel will monitor polling place activities. A Civil Rights Division attorney will coordinate federal activities and maintain contact with local election officials.

“I’m glad to have another set of eyes on the process,” Cole explained, adding that the more eyes on the process “the less likely something will wrong.”

Cole, who spoke with DOJ representatives last week, said that he doesn’t know how many of their folks will be on the ground.

“You don’t know until they come. I wouldn’t be surprised that they’re at every precinct, at least the precincts that involve minority voters,” he said.

The Justice Department representatives join folks from the Secretary of State’s office, who spent last week overseeing absentee voting.

Secretary Delbert Hosemann said that there will be personnel from his office in each of the city’s 14 precincts and the municipal clerk’s office today.

DuPree received 37 more votes than Ware in the June 4 general election, which saw a low turnout with less than 10,000 ballots cast, or 37 percent of registered voters. Ware’s legal challenge that he received the most legal votes resulted in a mistrial and the declaration of a special election.

City officials have speculated that there will be a high turnout today at the polls, in part based on the estimated nearly 1,000 absentee votes that were cast in the run-up to the election.

There were only 580 absentee ballots cast in the general election.

Some folks expressed displeasure that they didn’t receive their absentee ballots in time.

Susan Thomson said her daughter Christina, a student at Sewanee — a liberal arts college in Tennessee — first requested her absentee ballot by phone Sept. 9 and then again one week later.

“I talked to her last night, and she still hasn’t received it,” she said.

Deputy city clerk Kermas Eaton said he couldn’t account for the missing ballots. He said his office combed their way through a list of more than 400 ballot requests made between Aug. 23 and Sept. 10 — the date when his office started mailing the ballots.

“We have been getting a lot back in the mail because of a bad address,” he said.